2 January 2020. The eight-day strike of some 150,000 letter carriers in 30 cities took the nation by surprise, but for many in the U.S. Every worker must receive protective gear, sanitation, and permanent pay raises, along with hazard pay and full compensation for any time lost due to COVID-19 related issues. Mail volume might be slowly going down, but parcels are through the roof. US Postal Service employees weren't involved in … MORTATING THE 1971 POSTAL STRIKE. Moe Biller, Manhattan and Bronx Postal Union president, who had fled through a kitchen at a meeting … 23rd October 2020. This must be combined with a fight for socialism, including the transformation of USPS and the major logistics corporations into public entities under the democratic control of the working class, so they can be run on the basis of social need, not private profit. For their part, the four unions at the post office—the American Postal Workers Union, National Association of Letter Carriers, National Postal Mail Handlers Union and National Rural Letter Carriers’ Association—have served to mask over the severity of the situation and keep workers on the job at management’s behest. The needs of the working class and humanity must be placed above all considerations of profit and wealth. 135,000 – Postal workers on strike, out of a total of 180,000. Royal Mail is facing its first national postal strike in a decade after staff voted overwhelmingly for action. While the judges’ orders primarily focused on postal operations prior to and in the immediate aftermath of the election, they have yet to lift their injunctions.Â, DeJoy cautioned before the election—and has reiterated since—he only intended a pause on some reform efforts he issued prior to the court orders to be temporary, with more dramatic changes still slated for 2021 and beyond. view more headlines. The cash-strapped agency may soon receive some financial relief, as a bipartisan COVID-19 relief package currently being discussed on Capitol Hill would convert a $10 billion line of credit for USPS to a cash grant.Â, The Postal Service also paused a pilot program designed to get letter carriers out on their routes first thing in the morning, which would effectively force them to leave some mail behind each day. The settlement requires the Postal Service to convert 5,000 noncareer carriers to career status. To: All Branches. The U.S. postal strike of 1970 was an eight-day strike by federal postal workers in March 1970. “We have a right to know from management exactly how many cases are confirmed in the building.”. Replay. Normal delivery operations were heavily slowed down due to the sickouts. Considering we’re quasi-federal, and not government funded,” she said, “it seems like the government should be able to fund such an important essential function.”. GBP 10 million – Estimated cost of strike to small businesses in lost business and delayed postal payments. Election Commission Regains Quorum and Resumes Full Duties, Facing a Massive Backlog of WorkÂ. It is 50 years since the 1970 strike when hundreds of thousands of postal workers walked off the job in defiance of the Nixon administration and the union bureaucracy in the largest strike against the federal government in US history. 6 Dec 12:53. Business Top Stories . Under judges’ orders, USPS has continued to provide data to federal courts on late and extra trips, mail delays and ballot delivery (a special election for Georgia’s two Senate seats is currently underway, with final in-person voting occurring on Jan. 5). In Middle Village and Ridgewood, two neighborhoods within New York City, large numbers of workers called out sick in early April after learning through Facebook that several coworkers had tested positive for COVID-19. 1670 days ago ‘Sapo has had enough time to meet workers’ demands’ But what do you do for the customer and with USPS with a 2 week delay? Rejecting the division and isolation imposed by the four USPS unions, postal workers from all trades should organize rank-and-file workplace committees, independent of the unions, to unify on the common basis with each other and with other key sections of the working class around the world, especially Amazon workers, UPS workers and FedEx workers who carry out the same essential duties for society. On January 22, 2020, the USPS settled a national grievance with the Letter Carriers union over having exceeded the contractually agreed-upon caps on the hiring of noncareer letter carrier assistants. A driver for an independent contractor to FedEx Corp wearing a protective mask pushes a hand truck with packages in San Francisco, California, on 6 April 2020. 08/13/2020 06:34 PM EDT ... after President Nixon’s tough-love treatment of postal workers led to a wildcat strike among letter carriers, public opinion quickly swayed in … ... U.S. final manufacturing PMI ends 2020 at 6-year high - IHS Markit Reuters 14:56 IHS Markit Brexit Coronavirus Business Impact. A huge backlog of almost 50 million letters was being cleared today after postal workers accepted a deal to end a dispute which sparked wildcat strikes across the country. These actions and publicized stories of USPS workers have attracted support from large sections of the population that increasingly rely on mail delivery for communications, medications, welfare benefits and other services necessary for daily life under conditions of lockdown. These … The recent CARES Act passed by both capitalist parties, and approved by the “socialist” Bernie Sanders, offered USPS a $10 billion loan, compared to the $4 trillion freely handed to Wall Street and giant private corporations. With the election behind it, the U.S. 2020 election: Vote by mail works, despite what Donald Trump says The postmaster general is trying to place the postal workforce hors de combat in our war against the pandemic. It is currently in transit to the next facility. USPS2020GeneralStrike, Washington D.C. 17 likes. With the reduction of usual mail traffic and additional competition from Amazon, USPS spokesmen have estimated that USPS will run out of money and may be forced to completely shut down by September 30 at the latest. On top of the lack of protective gear and sanitary supplies that many workers face, hundreds of USPS workers have reported that management has not informed them of workers in their facilities who tested positive for the virus or even died. This has only encouraged the privatization efforts by successive administrations, with Trump using the pandemic to accelerate the attack on postal workers. Tweet . USPS Service Alerts have information for consumers, small businesses and business mailers about postal facility service disruptions caused by weather-related and other natural disasters or events.. Visit www.ready.gov or www.listo.gov to prepare for hurricanes and severe weather. “People are scared because management has stopped communicating,” a mail handler at a Long Island processing plant told ProPublica. Postal Service is now looking to shake the restrictions that have prevented it from moving forward with a number of controversial reforms that led to slower mail delivery.Â, USPS is appealing a series of preliminary defeats it suffered in federal courts across the country as federal lawmakers, state officials and concerned citizens fought back on new initiatives implemented by Postmaster General Louis DeJoy earlier this year. ... 2020 at 11:00 a.m. UTC. I agree to the use of my personal data by Government Executive Media Group and its partners to serve me targeted ads. August 3, 2020 In Transit, Arriving Late Your package will arrive later than expected, but is still on its way. “While we do not intend to comment about the appeals we are pursuing, it remains our view that none of the election mail lawsuits are justified by the facts or supported by the applicable law,” Marshall said. Royal Mail workers vote to strike - but will HOLD OFF mass walkout and offer to act as a 'new emergency service' Members of the Communication Workers Union backed industrial action by 94% October 13, 2020 Great Postal Strike 50th anniversary dinner update. The struggle against privatization and the defense of the basic health and safety needs of postal workers, along with their livelihoods, will not be carried out by the unions, which are tied to the Democratic Party and defend the capitalist system. ... Union negotiators said they “remain ready for resolution negotiations” but would none the less prepare for strike action. They also enjoined USPS from slashing overtime. TIMEFRAME expected from 12/29/2020, 2:47 AM until 1/1/2021, 6:00 AM (UTC). In a more recent discussion with large-scale mailers, DeJoy more explicitly signaled a return to his initiatives from the summer while finding new ways to grow revenue. Support the only publication that has told the working class the truth about the coronavirus pandemic and advanced an international socialist perspective in response to the crisis. 400 million – Backlog of letters which will build up if strike lasts for five days. As of this writing, over 640,000 people have signed an online petition demanding hazard pay for all USPS workers. [50][51] However, nonpartisan experts have warned that delays in the delivery of mail-in ballots could be used by Trump to "steal the election" in the event that more Democrats than Republicans choose to vote by mail in the November 2020 elections. Government Executive uses cookies for analytics and personalization. Before the coronavirus, USPS had a negative net worth of $65 billion and an additional $140 billion in “unfunded liabilities,” stemming largely from the pensions and retiree health care benefits owed to retired postal workers and their families. In New Haven, Connecticut, letter carriers reported that they learned through co-workers that there was at least one confirmed case. Postal … Rank-and-file committees must demand that all workers be informed of confirmed cases at their facilities, and those facilities must be shut down until workers have been tested and quarantined as needed, and workplace committees, working in conjunction with health care specialists, can ensure that a safe environment exists. By continuing to use this site, you agree to our use of cookies. JUST WATCHED Video shows USPS mail being dumped in parking lot. The National Association of Letter Carriers filed a national grievance over the program, saying management should have negotiated over its implementation. December 10, 2020. While DeJoy said USPS would quickly be able to recover from the setback and resume meeting its on-time delivery goals, the Postal Service never fully recovered from its performance dip.Â, Even though the election has passed, many of the obligations the Postal Service incurred by judicial fiat remain in place. There are likely dozens, if not hundreds more cases like them. Last Friday, the hashtag #SaveThePostOffice was trending on Twitter, reflecting popular support for safe conditions and full government funding that has so far been denied. This is a page for USPS postal workers to strike May 1st, 2020 and also to support the May 1st, 2020 General Strike. Sources at the CWU told Post&Parcel this morning that picketing of Sapo facilities is taking place today (5 May), and full strike action is scheduled for tomorrow.. NALC has postponed the Great Postal Strike 50 th anniversary dinner until it is safe to hold the event. The department was renamed the U.S. Aug. 10, 2020 at 11:16 a.m. ... postal workers in cities across the nation went on strike — an eight-day ordeal that prompted Nixon to order the military to help sort the mail in New York City. USPS2020GeneralStrike, Washington D.C. 17 likes. The 2020 United States Postal Service crisis is a series of events that have caused backlogs and delays in the delivery of mail by the United States Postal Service (USPS). A mail carrier in Northern California told the WSWS, “I consider myself along with my fellow workers, a necessary constant in the community. The following day, four hundred workers called in sick, or roughly 60 percent of the staff. Management at a facility in New Orleans failed to track and inform those who had come into contact with a worker who tested positive until five days after the sick worker raised it as a concern. Share. USPS workers are joining Amazon and other workers across and beyond the logistics industry in a growing wave of strikes and job actions around the world that have erupted largely outside of and in opposition to the trade unions. A paraglider flying over Mam Tor, a 517m hill near Castleton in Derbyshire. USPS headquarters officials repeatedly argued in court the postmaster general’s initiatives only led to mail delays because front-line workers misinterpreted their directives, though the employees themselves pushed back on that narrative. Read our, Yes, I want to receive occasional updates from partners. It was March 1970, and Beard had joined what would become the largest wildcat strike in U.S. history. President Nixon transformed the postal service from a department of the executive branch into a public corporation in a move that provoked a powerful national strike by postal workers. Over the last four decades, the unions have collaborated in the systematic destruction of postal workers’ wages and working conditions, including the establishment of part-time, low-wage positions. DeJoy has not specifically suggested whether he plans to resume that test initiative.Â, USPS has so far appealed injunctions issued in Washington, D.C., Washington state and Pennsylvania. Share . By Rick Moran Sep 22, 2020 9:07 AM ET . We deliver many essential items people rely on, like medications every day. The U.S. Postal workers were tired of barely seeing a … Postal Strike: Moving the Mails ... July 31, 2020. My customer was the one that alerted me of this, and thankfully she has been understanding. Share Tweet Share. In reality, they have done nothing to seriously address the threat to the health of workers and the public, which would require universal testing and the immediate closure of facilities where workers have showed symptoms or tested positive. With letter carriers and other postal workers on duty at 12:01 a.m. in Manhat-tan and the Bronx, news of the work stoppage spread quickly. ProPublica obtained reports from workers at 11 facilities thus far who found out of sick coworkers through social media or conversations with coworkers, without any official notification from USPS. LTB 510/20. What would become known as the Great Postal Strike—an illegal wildcat strike that threatened the jobs, pensions and even freedom of scores of America’s mail carriers—had just begun. National postal delivery delays likely. ! The CWU said the prospect of the first national postal strike in a decade now “looms large”. South Africa’s Communication Workers Union (CWU) is organizing a strike among South African Post Office (Sapo) employees this week. The strike began in New York City and spread to some other cities in the following two weeks. Postal Service. The discovery of the criminal failure to protect workers on the job has provoked widespread discontent among USPS workers, leading to a number of wildcat sickouts and walkouts. This fight must be taken up by postal workers and every section of the working class in opposition to the corrupt unions and the two corporate controlled parties. On April 9, USPS requested $75 billion in emergency funds to help it survive the immediate crisis under the pandemic. © 2021 by Government Media Executive Group LLC. Postal Service is the world's largest, with 600,000 employees, but its finances are cratering and the Trump administration is hostile to a bailout despite bipartisan support in Congress. Chicago Postal Workers Threaten Strike After Several Mail Carriers Shot. Updated 12:20 PM ET, Tue September 8, 2020 . President Donald Trump will nominate Republican Roy A. Bernardi, the former mayor of Syracuse, New York, to the U.S. The postal strike in numbers. The purpose of this LTB is to advise Branches that next year is the 50th Anniversary of the 1971 Postal Strike, which ran for almost 7 weeks from the 20th January 1971 to 8th March 1971. “We will continue to defend the integrity and credibility of our leadership and workforce, and the collective allegiance of our entire organization to our non-partisan service mission.”Â, NEXT STORY: Yes, Government Executive can email me on behalf of carefully selected companies and organizations. I am concerned with the government not giving us the extra funding. While starving the post office of funding, the Trump administration, with the full backing of the congressional Democrats, is making trillions of dollars available to prop up the stock markets, the airlines and other major corporations. The postmaster general told reporters last month that the Postal Service’s problems can be solved “but we need to get on with the difficult business of solving them.” He promised to “modernize retail and processing operations” as part of a new strategic plan USPS will release in the coming months. Thousands of mail carriers, sorters, and clerks who work for the United States Postal Service (USPS) are at risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 due to the dangerous conditions in which they’ve been working for the past couple months. ... Postmaster General Louis DeJoy today announced a modified organizational structure for the U.S. Union officials have repeatedly asserted that they are committed to the health and safety of postal workers and are in “constant discussion with USPS” over this. The contentious relationship between the federal government and the postal service goes back to the U.S. postal strike of 1970, Rubio says. Help us tailor content specifically for you: A Transition Survival Guide for Civil Servants, OPM Failed to Issue Guidance for D.C. Federal Workers During Insurrection, Agencies Have Distributed 200K Vaccine Doses, Guidance on Carrying Over More Annual Leave, Podcast: The Administrative State Under Trump, DeJoy, USPS Look to Strike Down Court Restrictions Blocking Reform Efforts, Help Us Find the Government’s Boldest Innovators Â, Route Fifty eBook: IT Priorities for State Governments. Members of the public deliver letters during postal strike of 1971 Oxford Mail 12:53 6-Dec-20. Sapo’s CEO says the last major strike in 2014 resulted in a 30 percent revenue loss for the Post Office. Postal workers plan to strike nationwide in Morocco Dec. 29-31. Election Commission Regains Quorum and Resumes Full Duties, Facing a Massive Backlog of WorkÂ. Little under two weeks ago, 40 percent of workers at a mail processing facility in North Texas walked out after learning of anywhere from two to 19 cases of COVID-19 at two locations in the small city of Coppell. The operational changes had led to widespread mail delays, which continued through the election despite largely successful efforts to expedite ballot delivery. The postal worker wildcat strike that shut down the country’s mail 50 years ago. International Committee of the Fourth International. 17 April 2020 Thousands of mail carriers, sorters, and clerks who work for the United States Postal Service (USPS) are at risk of contracting and spreading COVID-19 … All rights reserved. Dear Colleague. The latest reported numbers from USPS, from March 30, claim that 207 workers have been diagnosed with the coronavirus. Postal Service has temporarily suspended the guarantee on Priority Mail Express International destined to China, France, Great Britain, Hong Kong, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Almost immediate- COMME. Postal Service’s Board of … With the election behind it, the U.S. USPS General Counsel Thomas Marshall declined to elaborate on the Postal Service’s plans, instead simply suggesting the original injunctions were erroneously awarded. Effective March 23, 2020, due to airline travel restrictions and cancellations, the U.S. AP Photo/David Banks. The “extraordinary measures” USPS implemented to ensure on-time ballot delivery, meanwhile, were set to expire Nov. 24.Â. The dispute between workers and … This is a page for USPS postal workers to strike May 1st, 2020 and also to support the May 1st, 2020 General Strike. As the election drew closer, federal judges issued more specific instructions requiring postal management to notify employees that DeJoy’s reforms were null and void. 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